


everything is never as it seems (when i fall asleep)

by mikeycliffords



Category: 5 Seconds of Summer (Band)
Genre: M/M, but !! fic, halloween fic..., idk - Freeform, idk what to tag this as okay im so tired rn, im an attention whore u know, this is for ainslees fic event on Tumblr but. posting it here too bc, this is. witch! muke how sexy
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-10-31
Updated: 2020-10-31
Packaged: 2021-03-08 19:48:00
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 9,370
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/27242194
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/mikeycliffords/pseuds/mikeycliffords
Summary: “can you stop calling me fucking wonderbread?” he rolled his eyes, face as unamused as luke’s cat’s had sort of permanently been. “my name’s fucking michael, which you’d know by now if you could actually do a shitty spell.”― “you’re a witch who found me as a stray cat on the streets and took me in. problem is, i was cursed to be this way, and i’m actually human. when you did a spell wrong, you managed to get me back to my human form. oops?” or, one person is cursed to be an animal until they’re taken in by a kind witch. when a spell goes awry, they’re suddenly turned human again, with a lot of explaining to do.(or: the witch fic.)
Relationships: Michael Clifford/Luke Hemmings
Comments: 7
Kudos: 32





	everything is never as it seems (when i fall asleep)

**Author's Note:**

> hi !!! this is written as a part of [ainslee](https://ashesonthefloor.tumblr.com)'s halloween fic event on tumblr !! very exciting. had lots of fun writing this bc u know. halloween + witches + muke,, very exciting much Serotonin. anyway !! fic. enjoy :)

Luke’s flat was filled with smoke as his potion bubbled over the pan, spitting out at him as if it wanted to attack him ― which honestly, was probably a suitable punishment since he hadn't been paying much attention to the love potion at all. He rushed over to the window, almost tripping over his own feet and nearly knocking over a plant that’d found a place on his windowsill, and forced the window open.

Or tried to at least. It took him a good minute to realise that the reason why it wouldn't open was because it was locked. He had a habit of being too lazy to actually lock his doors at night, instead turning all of the locks in his house with a flick of his wrist, and forgetting that meant the windows would lock too. 

He unlocked the window, and had another go at opening it up, only coughing a little bit. Now, Luke might be a witch but that didn't necessarily mean he was a good one. He messed up the majority of the potions he attempted, and pretty much every time he tried to cast a spell he ended up setting fire to someone. Not to mention his telekinesis, that was awful. He had zero control over his abilities at all, honestly.

So yeah, Luke was a bad witch. Well… not a bad witch. He was just bad at being a witch. 

He stuck his head out of his window, taking a moment to glance around the view from his window ― and breathe in some air that wasn't completely contaminated by the overpowering scent of red wine and mandrake root. He wasn't even making the fucking potion for himself. He made most of his money by selling love potions to people that were desperate enough to pay £5 for a tiny bottle of something they definitely didn't believe in. Half of the people that he sold them too seemed completely doubtful that it’d even work.

Well, it sort of worked. You can't exactly create real love, not really. All Luke’s love potions did was cause anyone that comes in contact with you to become absolutely infatuated and almost obsessed for a few hours. So Luke made sure that he didn't make the potions too strong. He didn't really want anyone to go to prison because they got so infatuated with someone that’d bought a love potion from him that they’d decided to murder the competition or something.

Diluting it with a bit of blackcurrant juice usually helped, and it made it taste a little more appealing. 

He stuck his head back in the room when most of the smoke had cleared up, telekinetically lifting the pot from where it was still bubbling over the hob, and placing it gently on the side. Except his magic didn't quite fancy placing it gently, and instead it tipped over completely, the wooden spoon smacking the kitchen counter.

“Oh, for fuck’s sake,” Luke huffed, pouting a little to himself and heading over to the potion. It was ruined anyway, the colour was completely wrong and there was no way he’d be able to sell this. It was a bit of a piss take, even by his standards. 

He mumbled a quick vanishing spell under his breath, cringing a little to himself when not only did the potion spillage vanish from existance, but also his _fucking_ pan. 

Luke kind of wanted to cry. He just wasn't good at magic, he honestly wasn't sure why his parents hadn’t binded his powers or something. Magic just made his life more difficult, he got a single ounce of confidence that a spell wouldn't go completely wrong for once, and what do you know? He vanishes his pan from existence.

He wasn't even sure where objects went once he vanished them. Maybe there was some kind of alternate universe that he just sent them to ― in that case, alternate universe Luke would probably be very confused by how a ruined love potion and a battered old pan got on his kitchen counter. 

It was fine. It was an old pan and he could definitely use a new one anyway, not that he had a boatload of money to buy a new one with. He kind of had to though. It was either make potions or go back to working at that shitty bakery round the corner, and it turned out that baking wasn't as similar to potion making as he thought, and he wasn't very good at either of them.

He closed his window, just because he was kind of terrified that someone would scale up the wall of his building like Spider-Man and break into his flat. Although, it wasn't like he had much for anyone to steal. He had a five year old laptop that was probably worth like, a tenner and pretty much everything was potion ingredients and clothes. 

Luke headed out of his flat, slamming the door behind him just so whatever fucking spirit had decided to completely ruin his day could sense how pissed off he was. It was fine. He could go and buy a cheap pan from Asda, because even the ones he had that he cooked food in and stuff weren’t nearly as big as he needed for the potion. He could probably do with grabbing another bottle of wine too, and some extra mandrake root too, because he’d probably ran out of that too. 

But if he wanted mandrake root, he’d have to go all the way to the magic shop on the other side of town and there was no way he could handle that. 

Luke nearly tripped and fell on his face as he stepped down the stairs two at a time, but at least he didn't actually fall this time. That wouldn't be good at all. He’d done that a few times before already, and ended up with a sprained ankle both times. He was just a little clumsy, but in his defence the stairs were really steep and easy to trip down. 

He managed not to trip down the stairs, but he kind of wished he did, because maybe if he’d tripped down the stairs he wouldn't have tripped over the cat that was waiting outside of his flat.

It was a little scrawny thing, kind of scruffy with mucky blonde fur and the biggest green eyes that Luke had ever seen on a cat. Not that he made a huge habit of staring into cat’s eyes or anything. It didn't jump away when Luke practically stood on it, not like a normal cat would have done, and it seemed to screech at him. 

“Hey, little guy,” Luke cooed, bending down and petting the cat. It was kind of cute, in a weird way. Even if it did look kind of vicious. “Are you out here all alone?” He wasn't a big cat person or anything. His mum had one when he was younger, her own familiar, but Luke had never bothered getting one or anything. Maybe if he had one, his potions wouldn't explode all of the time.

The cat just yowled at him, his meow sounding more like a duck’s quack than any meow he’d ever heard before. Luke laughed a little, scooping the little cat up and giving him a soft smile. “I’ll take that as a yes then, yeah?” He was a cute little cat. But he probably had an owner or something… even if he did look like a stray. He was scrawny and a little mucky, but it wasn't like Luke could just take a cat in off the streets.

But maybe he could feed it or something. That'd be nice, right? It’d probably be wrong of him to not feed him, honestly. He knew there was a poor, probably starving cat just hanging out outside his building. He couldn't just not feed him.

“I’ve gotta go, buddy. But I’ll bring you some food back, I promise.” He kissed the cat’s little head, sort of instinctively, and placed him back on the ground. The mandrake root and wine were all but forgotten, and Luke spent more time in Asda picking out the healthiest brand of cat biscuits and pouches of wet food than deciding which pan he wanted. 

* * *

Luke couldn't find the cat when he’d gotten home. 

He’d seen it on his way into his flat, the purring had started as soon as he’d neared the building, and he’d felt a little furry thing brush and nuzzle against his ankle before he’d even seen the cat. And then he’d leant down to give it a quick stroke before heading upstairs to dump his shopping on his kitchen side, and when he’d gone back downstairs armed with a bowl of cat biscuits shaped like little fishes, and another one filled with water that he’d definitely spilt all over his doormat, the cat was gone. 

Luke had checked everywhere. He walked around the block three times to see if he could see him, and even ventured into the dirty alleyway behind his building to see if he was hiding in there, but he wasn't anywhere to be seen.

He figured he may as well put down the bowl of cat biscuits outside the entrance to his building, just in case the cat somehow turned up. He put the water bowl next to it too, even though it was half empty.

He couldn't help but be a little disheartened that his cat friend had completely disappeared. Maybe he wasn't a stray and his owners had taken him home, or maybe someone had taken him to the vets to get scanned for a microchip or something like you were _technically_ supposed to do when you found a stray cat. Luke was just… a little sad. He’d liked the cat. He wasn't exactly a big cat person or anything, but he’d liked that one specific cat.

He huffed a little as he made his way back up to his flat. Luke’s plans for the rest of the day were pretty much ruined now. He was going to feed his cat friend, and then maybe play with his cat friend a bit and possibly try and take him home up to his flat when it got a little darker and a little chillier, just so he didn't have to sleep alone outside.

But now he couldn't because he was absolutely nowhere to be seen, and Luke would probably spend the rest of his night halfheartedly mixing up shitty love potions and then pass out on his sofa after eating half of a pot noodle at two am.

He unlocked his door, letting himself in and frowned a little at what he saw.

The cat was on his couch, sprawled out on top of one of Luke’s hoodies that he’d tossed on there earlier. He seemed pretty impressed with himself, lifting his head and looking over at Luke, meowing at him. 

“Hey little guy… how did you get up here?” He headed over to the couch, kneeling down in front of him and petting his little head. 

The cat squeaked, as if he was answering himself in his own little way. “Do you wanna stay?” 

Luke laughed a little when the cat seemed to flop onto his back, nuzzling his little furry head against his wrist. “I’ll take that as a yes then?” He was just cute. Maybe it was a little wrong for Luke to just find a cat outside of his flat and decide that he was going to keep him, but it wasn't like he’d actually brought the cat upstairs. He’d just… somehow gotten there and had decided to use one of Luke’s hoodies as a blanket. 

He stopped giving him attention for just a moment, but the cat let out one of his little squeaky meows as if he was demanding attention from him. It was kind of cute. “I need to name you if you’re planning on staying here.” He wasn't very good at naming things, honestly. But maybe the cat could choose his own name.

“Uh… Cat? Flopsy? Trevor? Mittens?” The cat just gave him a look that could only be described as unimpressed, not amused at all by the possibility of actually being called Trevor. 

Luke pouted a little, not enjoying how difficult it was to name his new cat. “Well… what do you want your name to be?”

The cat just frowned at him, meowing at him and sprawling out a little more, clawing at Luke’s hoodie a little.

“Uh… Cat?” He’d already said that one. “Kitty? Kitten. Cat… Caterpillar?” 

The cat let out a sharp meow of protest, and honestly seemed like he was going to fucking attack Luke if he called him Caterpillar, but in his defence it was kind of perfect for him. Caterpillars were nice and furry, and so was this cat. Plus, it was a pun so that automatically made it a good cat name. “Shall I call you Caterpillar?”

He didn't dare ever call him caterpillar after that, because the cat bit him. He fucking bit him. He leaned over and grabbed his hand, and of course Luke just let him since he thought he was being cute and trying to hold his hand or something, but it was all a big trick. He sunk his surprisingly sharp claws into his hand and bit down, not letting go straightaway like Luke had honestly expected him to.

And it really hurt. More than being bitten by a cat probably should hurt. 

“Hey! You little shit, that hurt. Bad cat,” Luke tore his hand away from the cat, pulling it to his chest and keeping it there, giving his new cat a dirty look. The cat just squeaked at him, before snuggling back into Luke’s hoodie ― which he’d seem to have decided was his new blanket or something. 

“You can't just randomly hurt people, kitty,” he tutted a little bit, shaking his head at the little cat. He didn't seem like he cared much at all, honestly, but that was to be expected. Cats kind of stereotypically didn't give a single shit about anything, and this one seemed like that was the case for him too.

“Right, well I’m going to work on a potion. Are you staying here or coming with me?” He was talking to the cat like he'd speak to a baby or something. He kind of was a baby though, just a bit of a scrawny but weirdly fluffy baby. But it was cute. Luke liked him a lot already.

The cat made up his mind as he stretched out a little and stood up, looking at Luke expectantly. Any other cat that Luke had been around before had kind of just ignored him, honestly. He’d never really known a cat that’d answered him properly before, but it was nice to not be completely ignored for once. 

He followed him over to the kitchen, and jumped onto the counter, giving him an expectant look. Luke didn't bother telling him to get off, he didn't really mind him sitting on the kitchen side as long as he didn't steal his food or anything. But saying that, this cat seemed like a little bit of a gremlin so maybe it'd be for the best if Luke just didn't leave food around.

“I’m doing it. Stop glaring at me,” Luke mumbled, ignoring the fact that he’d started talking to himself a lot more in the five minutes that he’d had a cat. His new cat just scowled at him, little nose scrunching up. 

Luke got a little distracted in his task of finding all of the ingredients that he needed for the potion by a rustling noise. He glanced over at the cat, whose curiosity had been occupied by a bag of bread. 

“What you got there, kitty?” Maybe Kitty would just be his name now, although that didn't seem too fitting. He was trying to eat his way through a bag of wonderbread, but apparently didn't anticipate the plastic being there. 

Maybe he should go grab the food bowls from downstairs since he seemed a little hungry or something.

He gave him an amused look, reaching over and scratching under his little chin. “You kind of look like a loaf of bread.” Just a bit of a squashed loaf of bread. His fur was kind of the same colour as bread, honestly. “Can I call you Wonderbread?” It was an arguably better name than Caterpillar, honestly. The cat just glanced over at him, and then went back to trying to force his way through the plastic carrier bag.

“No, Bread. You can't have… bread.” Maybe calling him Wonderbread would be a little confusing, actually. But it was literally the only name that he hadn’t seemed to hate. 

Luke moved the loaf of bread, much to Wonderbread’s displeasure, and hid it away from him in a cupboard as he carried on hunting for the shit that he needed. The bottle of red wine sitting at the back of his cupboard was only a quarter full ― which wasn't his fault, it wasn't like he’d been drinking it, Luke just had a bit of a habit of accidentally spilling it all over the side whenever he tried to make his stupid love potions.

He wasn't even sure why anyone bought them, honestly. He personally wouldn't want someone to fall in love with him just because of magic. Not that it was actually love, just some sort of twisted infatuation. 

Maybe that's what love was, in its truest form. Luke thought about that often ― not that he had a whole lot of thoughts, but still. Whenever he loved someone, or even liked someone, it ended up like that. Him just being almost… obsessed with them. He knew that’s not what love was supposed to be, but that's what it always was for him. 

When he’d first met Ashton he’d been awful, following him around like a little lost puppy and being hopefully obsessed with him. But he got over it, he always did. He just struggled a little for a while.

Wonderbread’s purring broke him out of his thoughts, and he blinked a little at him. He was quite a cute cat actually, even if he was a little scruffy. 

Luke couldn't believe he was this attached to a stray cat already. He’d be kind of bummed if it turned out that Bread did have an owner, since that’d mean he’d definitely have to give him back, because it wasn't like he could just simply decide not to. He wasn't a cat thief. Or was he? He technically hadn’t stolen him off of the streets or anything. Wonderbread had just… chosen him. 

And it felt nice to be chosen for once. To be someone’s first option and not always an awkward third wheel to Calum and Ashton ― who’d started dating last Autumn, despite Luke’s aforementioned crush on Ashton. Calum had even tried to buy a love potion to use on Ash before, but Luke wasn't sure if he ever actually ended up using it. 

He found the mandrake root on his kitchen side, or rather, Wonderbread had found it. He screeched to get Luke’s attention, patting at the jar with his tiny paws. 

“Thanks, kitty,” he gave the cat a soft smile, taking the jar and opening it, only struggling a little bit. Wonderbread just stared at him, and honestly, Luke wasn't sure if a cat’s face could look… mocking, exactly, but Bread’s did. He was a bit of a strange cat, honestly. But Luke loved him all the same. 

He put his new pan on top of the hob, lighting it before realising that he probably shouldn't just put an empty pan over a flame with nothing in it. That seemed like a bit of a bad idea, even by Luke’s standards, so he tipped in the remainder of the red wine and chucked in a handful of mandrake roots. 

Wonderbread scowled at him, headbutting the jar again. “I’ve already put that in,” Luke mumbled, not sure if he was talking to himself or the cat. Actually, it was definitely the cat.

The cat just screeched at him, now trying to pry open the lid with his little paw. “You think I should put more in?” Luke asked, frowning at him. Well… he didn't really agree with him or anything, but maybe he could put some more in. Although he didn't really like the idea of getting potion making tips off of a random cat that probably didn't have a fucking clue what was going on. He was probably hungry and thought that the mandrake roots would be a nice snack or something.

But Luke opened the jar and chucked another handful in anyway, and then another because he didn't like the look that Wonderbread was giving him. Honestly, he was starting to understand what cat owners meant when they said that their pets were highly manipulative and basically ruled their home. Bread had only been with him a few minutes and he was already trying to do whatever he could to make him happy, even if he really didn't think he should put that much mandrake root in his potion.

He lightly stirred the mixture, daydreaming about something or the other like he usually did. His kitchen smelt awful, but it always did whenever he was making potions, mainly because they usually ended up burning. 

A small crash distracted him from his thoughts. 

Wonderbread had somehow climbed into Luke’s cupboard, and had knocked down his little bottle of peppermint oil. Honestly, he hadn't even remembered buying the little bottle. But… for some reason Wonderbread had wanted him to remember it.

“What?” Luke really wished that his power had been telepathy, like his mother. Although he kind of thought he’d be awful at blocking out people’s thoughts and it’d send him mad, he really wished he knew what Bread was trying to tell him. It was like talking to a brick wall. Just a very aggressive brick wall. 

Wonderbread hopped down from the cupboard, tapping the small bottle of oil and rolling it over the counter to where Luke was standing. “You want me to put this in?” 

Bread just meowed, blinking at him expectantly. 

“Are you sure?” Luke asked, giving him a confused look. Why the fuck was he listening to a cat? He wasn't sure.

“Okay…” He picked up the bottle from the counter, carefully unscrewing it and tipping a little too much of the peppermint oil into his potion. 

Wonderbread shrieked, moving closer to him without Luke even noticing him moving, and sunk his teeth into the hand that was leaning on the counter. “Shit! What the fuck, Bread? You little dick.” He dropped the bottle onto the ground, and the peppermint oil spilled all over the floor.

The scruffy cat just meowed at him, scowling at him and scrunching up his little nose. 

The potion was bubbling, and he wasn't sure if that was a good thing or not, but Wonderbread didn't seem concerned or anything. 

* * *

Wonderbread had hardly left his side since he’d decided to bring him home, or rather, since Wonderbread had let himself into his apartment. Luke couldn't even have a bath without the cat screaming, throwing himself at the door and then proceeding to sprawl out on Luke’s fluffy bath mat and let out a little chirpy meow every few minutes. 

It was even worse when he tried to sleep. Either Wonderbread had to sleep curled up in his side, sort of cocooned around Luke’s arm that ended up going dead after ten minutes, or he laid on his chest. It wouldn't be that bad, but it was kind of distracting having a cat nuzzling into you constantly, purring everytime you looked at him and even fucking drooling on you.

He was a clingy cat, that was Luke’s point. 

So, here he was again, sprawled out on his sofa with a snoring cat napping on his chest. How did cats even snore anyway? It didn't make any sense to him, honestly. 

Luke absentmindedly started petting Wonderbread whilst he watched whatever film was on the telly. He wasn't paying much attention honestly, he hadnt really been that focused on anything since he’d gotten this stupid cat. 

He just loved him a lot, and it’d only been a few days. But it was nice having some company, since Calum and Ashton had started dating they didn't really spend that much time with him, and Luke didn't like feeling like a third wheel whenever they did. And… he sort of had this weird need to never be alone, even if the only thing that was hanging out to him was a fucking cat. 

Wonderbread let out another one of his little meows, licking Luke’s hand. He’d been a little put off by that at first, not really appreciating being cleaned by a cat, but… it was okay. It was just his way of showing affection. Hopefully.

“You’re alright, aren't you Bread? You’re a good cat.” He kissed his little head, giving him a soft smile. He just wished he could tell what Wonderbread was thinking. He wanted to know whether he actually had a home or anything, before he got too attached. Although, maybe it was a little late for that already. 

Maybe… just maybe, he could cast a spell or something. Although he wasn't sure there was a spell that temporarily gave you the ability to listen to people’s thoughts. If there was, he wasn't sure he knew it. But maybe he could just make one up or something. 

He just wasn't great at stuff like that. 

Luke sat up properly, gently moving his cat from his chest to his lap. Wonderbread didn't seem too impressed at the disruption. “We’re gonna try something, Bread, okay?”

“Right, okay,” he tried to ignore the judgmental look that Bread was giving him, focusing his mind on creating some sort of spell so he could read his dumb cat’s thoughts. He probably didn't even think normally anyway. He seemed like the no thoughts, head empty kind of cat. He wouldn't be surprised if he was. 

“Okay uh, mind to mind… we link with thee,” Luke winced a little, hopes not high. Wonderbread didn't look impressed at all. “Luke Hemmings, and uh, Wonderbread the Cat―” Was that his full name? “―Let me hear your speech.”

Nothing happened. Either Bread didn't have a single thought in his tiny little brain, or Luke’s spell hadn't worked. It was probably the latter. Maybe Wonderbread’s actual name wasn't Wonderbread, or maybe the spell didn't work because he wasn't human. 

For fuck’s sake. 

“God, I wish you were a fucking human. That’d make everything so much easier.” He just wanted to ask him a question and actually get an answer for once.

Something happened. There was a weird light, centred right on Luke’s lap. It was kind of blinding, and he hoped to god that Wonderbread was okay, he definitely hadn’t moved. Honestly, if anything the weight in his lap had gotten a little bigger. 

The light was starting to hurt his eyes now, and he squeezed them shut. There was a sort of strangled noise. Was he making that? He didn't think so, maybe it was just Wonderbread. He did make a lot of dodgy noises honestly, he had a different meow for everything. There was a ‘feed me, I’m hungry’ meow and a ‘cuddle me right now if you don't want to get fucking attacked,’ meow, which was dangerously similar to his ‘I’m about to throw up,’ meow. 

But it wasn't a meow, it was almost a groan? Which didn't make much sense, because cat’s didn't fucking groan. 

Before Luke even had time to process what was going on, he was distracted by a head knocking against his and a sharp cry. Now that was _definitely_ him. 

“Jesus christ, Wonderbread,” he yelped, knocking the cat off of his lap without really even meaning to. 

There was a loud thud, and Luke cracked open an eye once the pain caused by that awfully bright light had faded enough. On his floor, was a man. He was about Luke’s size with the sort of sandy coloured hair that matched Wonderbread’s, and he was pretty fucking pale, too. And naked. Now, Luke wasn't really opposed to naked men hanging out in his flat, but usually he preferred to know why they were there and where their clothes were.

“Can you stop calling me fucking Wonderbread?” He rolled his eyes, face as unamused as Luke’s cat’s had sort of permanently been. “My name’s fucking Michael, which you’d know by now if you could actually do a shitty spell.”

To say that Luke was baffled was an understatement. Had he somehow turned his cat into a human? If that was the case, he didn't really want him that way. He’d rather have a furry friend than a rude and _very_ naked man in his living room. That wasn't what he wanted at all. “I― What?”

“God, you’re an idiot. I’ve been trying to tell you all week that I’m not a fucking cat. I even tried spelling it out with your alphabet spaghetti but you wouldn't let me!” Michael, or Wonderbread, whatever he was fucking called, scowled at him.

Luke just frowned, “Well I’m not gonna let a fucking cat fish through my food, am I?” Was this actually happening? Or had he accidentally fallen asleep cuddling his cat and was just currently having some sort of wacky and scarily realistic dream? He really hoped it was the latter, he’d very much like to be with Wonderbread right now. 

“When I tried to spell it out with your shitty fridge magnets you had a go at me for trying to steal your food.” Michael seemed like he was pouting, it was kind of cute. Actually, that was weird. He wasn't allowed to think that about someone that’d been his cat two minutes ago, that was just fucking _weird_.

“Well― Well― You were a fucking cat, mate. What the actual fuck?”

Michael just rolled his eyes, and it was only then that the other boy seemed to realise that he was sitting cross legged on Luke’s rug completely naked. “Uh, yeah. I was a cat and now I’m not.” That seemed like the short version of the story, honestly. “Can I like, get some clothes? Or do you want to stare at my knob for another five minutes?” 

* * *

It was only when Michael had finished rolling up the slightly too long legs of Luke’s joggers and had pulled a hoodie on ― which was definitely too big for him too, but Luke was trying not to notice the way that the hoodie’s sleeves fell down over his hands ― that he actually started to explain.

“You know, you’re actually the first person to ever try and take me in. Sometimes people feed me, or uh… kick me, but I’ve never actually stayed with anyone.”

Luke kind of wanted to tell Michael (it was still weird to call him that, by the way, his name was fucking Wonderbread, not Michael) to hurry up and get to the point, but he figured that he’d just scowl at him again and take even longer to talk about it. He was a bit of a dick like that.

“I didn't really take you in. You kind of let yourself into my flat and― how did you do that by the way?”

Michael’s face flushed a little, and he shrugged. “Well, I just kind of followed you up when you were bringing your shopping in. And then you didn't notice me so you shut the door and went downstairs to leave food and shit. I only did that because I could tell you were a witch too, by the way. I don't just break into anyone's house.” He laughed a little, clearly joking.

“You’re a witch?” Luke asked, clearly excited. He didn't really spend a lot of time with other witches, outside his own family, of course. A lot of them were sort of… not nice. A bit pretentious, honestly, judging Luke just because he was a bit of a shitty witch. Hopefully Michael wasn't like that.

He nodded, brushing a hand through his own hair and wincing a little when his fingers caught on some knots. Luke had to resist the urge to remove Mihcael’s hand and card his fingers through his hair, trying to be as gentle as possible as he got rid of every knot he could. But he didn't, of course. That’d be weird.

“Don't you think right now I’d be panicking over the fact that I’ve been a fucking cat for the last few years, if I wasn't a witch?”

That was a very good point. Luke didn't bother chirping in with a response, not when Michael immediately started talking again. He didn't really seem to let anyone get a word in edgewise, but maybe he was just speaking a lot right now to compensate for the fact that he’d been limited to communicating through meows for god knows how long. 

“So, my coven, well… my family, they’re not the greatest of people. It was alright when I was a kid, but the second you turn eighteen there’s this initiation process where you pledge to the devil and promise to act as his fucking slave if he ever asks you to? I don't know. As if witches didn't have a bad enough reputation anyway, and then they’re doing shit like that? I don't even think my nan knows the devil, but she acts like hes her fucking best mate. But, yeah, I didn't want to agree to it, for obvious reasons. So on the night before I turned eighteen I tried to run away.”

Luke wasn't sure he’d ever be able to run away from his family. He was in his twenties now and he didn't even know how to do his washing, he took it to his mum’s house every weekend and she did it for him. But he wouldn't really ever be in a situation where he wanted to run away and hide from his family. 

“But my fucking cousin― I trusted him, I thought he had the same opinions on my family as I did, but he sold me out, the little dick. Before I knew it my own dad was forcing me to either sign the pledge or be forced a punishment worse than death, and… I think it’s obvious which option I chose.”

Luke frowned, brows furrowing as he tried to understand what Michael was alluding to. Even now that he was a human he didn't understand what he meant. Maybe Michael was just a cryptic little bitch. “Your dad turned you into a cat?”

Michael nodded solemnly. “He gave me the choice of either a cat or a fox, I don't know why. I just kind of tried to pick whichever option I thought would be safest. I don't think anyone would really react well to having a fox in their flat.”

Luke probably would, he liked foxes. But a cat had definitely been the best option. 

“So… what now? You’re not walking on four legs and drinking out of a water bowl anymore, what do you want to do?”

Michael looked like he was seriously debating it for a moment, before his face lit up and he grinned. God, Luke had only seen him smile once but he kind of wanted to whip out his phone and take a photo of it just because he didn't trust his brain to forget how perfect he looked. “I want a fucking pizza.”

Luke wasn't sure what he was expecting. Maybe Michael asking him to call someone, or help him plot some kind of intricate revenge on his family, those would’ve been the reasonable things to do after being changed back to a human. But Michael wanted pizza, of course he fucking did. 

“Pizza, okay,” he nodded, pulling out his phone and opening Just Eat, passing it to Michael.

The boy just stared at the phone with a blank expression. “What the fuck is this?” He tilted his head to the side, looking completely and utterly adorable. Michael tapped at the phone, pouting when it didn't do anything.

“It's a phone… and an app.” 

Michael just looked even more confused, turning the phone around in his hands. “Why’s it so skinny?”

Luke laughed a little, and Michael’s eyes narrowed. “Don't fucking make fun of me, I’ve been a cat for like, four years. iPhones used to be fat and chunky back then.” Luke would have laughed a little more at that comment, but he was kind of afraid that Michael would launch his phone at him.

“Do you just want me to order it?” Luke sighed. He wasn't sure what he’d previously thought he’d be doing on his Thursday night, but watching a grown man struggle to work the newest iPhone definitely hadn't been it. Especially when that man had been a cat and curled up in his lap a little while ago.

“No,” Michael mumbled, a little stubbornly as he tried to use the app. It wasn't even that hard, honestly, Luke’s postcode was already automatically in there, all he had to do was press a few buttons.

And then the phone started to ring, Michael flinched and threw it to the other side of the room, and it skidded across the floor. 

“Shit! For fuck’s sake, Michael.”

Luke headed over to pick up his phone, now decorated with a new crack in it’s already fucked up screen, and answered the phone without even checking who was ringing him. “It’s not my fault! It started shaking and I’m not fucking touching something that does that.” Apparently he’d been a pissing cat for so long that he’d forgotten how a phone worked. 

“You alright, mate?” It was Calum, of course it was. Three people called Luke, and that was Calum, Ashton and his mum. Although that’d kind of been decreased to two since Calum had moved in with Ash and they’d already been together.

“Uh, yeah, just peachy. What’s up?” Luke tried his best not to let his anxious brain get the better of him. Calum was okay, and so was Ashton. He should just hang up the phone and order Michael’s pizza for him and then… maybe go to sleep or something. Deal with this fucking mess tomorrow.

“It’s Thursday? We had plans.” 

He could hear Ashton in the background yelling something about how Thursdays were for the boys, but he ignored him. He couldn't very well just leave Michael now. He’d end up getting confused about something, like how to open the front door to get his pizza when it arrived. Although maybe he could just let him be hungry for a bit and bring him a pizza on his way back, he had just fed Michael. Or Wonderbread. That was still weirding him out. 

Although, he could kind of already envision Michael getting hungry and trying to make some toast and accidentally setting fire to his toaster, and not knowing what to do because he didn't have a phone and couldn't call Luke. “Uh, I just ordered a pizza.”

Calum sighed, and mumbled something to Ashton that Luke couldn't hear. “Right, well cancel your delivery.”

Luke just took one look at Michael, still sitting on his floor poking at something on Luke’s coffee table, and his mind was already made up. “I don't want to. I’m wiped, mate, and I haven't eaten all day. We can do it Saturday or something.” 

Calum was quiet, and there was some shuffling around, and then he could hear Ashton. “We’re coming round. We’ll bring beer.” He didn't even get a chance to argue before the phone was being hung up and Michael was standing next to him, tugging on his sleeve. “Pizza?”

Luke frowned, already trying to figure out how he was going to fucking deal with this. Calum and Ashton only lived a short walk away, it wouldn't take them long to get there. And he didn't want to explain to them how he’d gone from having a cat to having a Michael. It was just too complicated ― well, not really, Michael had been cursed to be a cat, and now he wasn't ― and his head was starting to hurt just from trying to figure it out. 

“Yeah, sorry. I’ll order it now.”

* * *

Calum and Ashton beat the pizza’s arrival.

Actually, it was multiple pizzas. Luke’s appetite had gone down the drain the second there was a naked bloke on top of him ― not that he didn't like that, he usually did, just… not when he hadn’t asked for it. Or when the guy had literally just been a fucking cat. 

But Michael didn't really seem like the type to want to share his pizza, especially since it’d been years since he’d gotten to eat one. And he didn't want his cat tendencies to kick in and for him to instinctively bite Calum’s hand just because he tried to steal a slice. Being bitten by a human seemed like it’d hurt a lot more than a cat. 

“When’ll it be here?” Michael whined. His head was in Luke’s lap, and Luke had started messing with his hair without even thinking about it. It was kind of nice, just a little weird. 

It’d only taken Mikey a few minutes before he’d flopped onto his lap and expected attention. It was cute though, and reminded him a lot of how he’d acted as a cat. It was just cute. Luke was kind of considering gently scratching at his scalp just to see if he’d start purring.

“Soon,” Luke smiled. 

Michael rolled his eyes, nose scrunching up in annoyance. “Make it hurry up.”

Luke just sighed, “I can't make it fucking hurry up, Michael. It’ll take as long as it takes.”

The shorter boy opened his mouth, as if to argue, but a sharp knock at the door interrupted him. He shot up immediately, moving off of the couch and over to the door before Luke could even say, “That’s probably just Cal and Ashton.”

Michael swung the door open, excited smile dropping when all he found was two men and no pizza. He immediately tried to shut the door in their faces, but Calum’s foot stopped him. 

“Hey uh― who the fuck are you? Luke?” He stepped inside the flat, frowning at Luke. “Who’s this?”

Luke just opened his mouth, but no sound came out. “Are we interrupting something?” Ashton frowned, seeming to notice the fact that Michael was dressed head to toe in Luke’s clothing. 

Calum laughed, probably ready to make a comment about how this was just like the time Luke had been too awkward to tell one of his hookups that he wanted him to leave, and had instead spent the entire fucking day with him. 

“We’re not― We haven't― He’s just―” 

“I was Luke’s cat.” Michael said bluntly, clearly confused as to why everyone was staring at him like he’d just announced he had a third nipple or something. “Can you guys move out of the way? I think my pizza’s here.”

The pizza delivery man looked bored, and Luke wasn't sure if he’d heard Michael make that comment about… being a cat, but if he had, he didn't seem like he gave two shits. 

“Twenty quid,” he asked, holding out his hand for money.

Michael just gave Luke an expectant look, so he shuffled over awkwardly, trying to ignore the odd looks he was getting from Calum and Asthon, and handed over the money. Michael practically snatched the pizzas from him, sitting down on Luke’s rug and digging into the pepperoni one he’d asked for.

“So.” Ashton and Calum were both staring at the elephant in the room, or rather, the cat. The cat meaning Micheal. He innocently sat eating his pizza, already finished with the first slice. 

“He uh, he’s a witch. And someone cursed him and turned him into a cat, Wonderbread―” 

“Stop calling me fucking Wonderbread, or I’ll spin kick you,” Michael said, not even finishing his food before he spoke.

“―And I accidently turned him back into a human. I don't know how.”

Calum just nodded, unsure look on his face as he tried to figure out whether Luke was just sprouting some bullshit to cover up the fact that he’d had another awkward hookup. “Right. So why’s he in your clothes?”

Michael actually swallowed his food this time. “Well, mate, the funny thing is that when you’ve been a cat for like, four years you don't really have any fucking clothes on and I didn't want to have to walk around Luke’s flat with my cock out.”

Luke’s face flushed. He hadn't wanted that either. Not that he had anything against Michael’s penis. He just felt a little better when people had clothes on. 

Calum just shrugged, evidently okay with that. He took the other pizza from where Michael had dumped it on the floor, and dug into it. Ashton didn't seem so accepting of Luke’s explanation.

Ashton had always been a little more tense than him and Calum, plus he wasn't a witch or anything, just a mortal that’d gotten a little mixed up in their world ― Thanks to Calum ― and he found it a little more difficult to understand some things. It’d taken Luke about a month to explain to him that whilst Leprecauns did exist, they didn't hide their gold at the end of a rainbow, and fairies and pixies were completely different things, and no, vampires didn't fucking sparkle when they went out in the sun, they just set on fire instead.

“But― How do you get him… back to being a cat?”

Michael’s head jerked up, and he scowled at him. “How would you like to be fucking cursed to piss in a litter box and actually like eating that disgusting wet food shit for four years? Cause I can do it if you want to try it out?” He was just a bit of a grumpy kitten. Not that he was still a cat, but he acted like one. 

Luke just sat next to him, rubbing his shoulders to try and soothe him. 

Ashton stepped a little closer to Calum, probably ready to use him as a human shield if Michael started casting spells. “Okay, so what’s happening then? Where are you going?”

Part of Luke wanted to tell Ashton to sit down, have a slice of pizza and maybe a beer, and calm the fuck down. Michael hadn't even been a human for an hour, it was a little insensitive to just immediately start planning where they could ship him off to so they didn't have to deal with him anymore. Luke felt guilty even thinking about that anyway, since Michael was kind of his responsibility now. It was his fault that he was human again, he felt like he _had_ to help him. 

But he had a point. Luke’s flat was only one bedroom and it wasn't like they could just share, and his couch was like, five years old and wouldn't be comfortable at all to sleep on. But still, he couldn't just ask him to leave. 

He was kind of cute anyway, head leaning on Luke’s shoulder as he carded a hand through his hair without really even meaning to. He was done with his second slice of pizza now, seeming to take a short break before starting the third. “He can just stay here,” Luke found himself saying, without even realising it. 

Michael’s face lit up, and he beamed at him, wrapping one arm around Luke’s waist and sort of smushing his face in his neck as he awkwardly hugged him. “I can? Yay.”

His voice was soft and muffled, and Ashton was shaking his head a little, but it wasn't like Luke could say no to him. He couldn't say no to Mikey when he was a cat, and he couldn't now. He just wanted to look after him. “Yeah, course you can.”

* * *

It wasn't as difficult as he thought it was going to be, living with Michael. They slept together, Michael gradually shifting from laying on the left side of the bed to getting closer and closer until his face was tucked into Luke’s neck and he was practically laying on him. Luke had just started pulling him over immediately now, since they woke up the same way anyway.

It was kind of nice. Luke liked the company, which was why he’d liked having Wonderbread around. Now he had a useless cat tree and about three months worth of cat food, but it was okay. He had a Michael.

Michael… was odd. He was freakishly good at potions, apparently Luke shouldn't be surprised at that since he’d tried to fix his love potion when he’d still been a cat. Now he did the same thing, awkwardly hovering over Luke’s shoulder as he tried to fix up his next supply of love potions. 

“You need to separate the rose thorns before you put it in. Otherwise it'll backfire and whoever drinks the potion is gonna hate whoever gives it to them.”

Luke turned his head, looking over his shoulder to frown at him. “Do you want to fucking do it?”

Michael just nodded, shifting Luke out of the way and snatching the rose and the knife from him. He busied himself, cutting the thorns off of the rose before tossing it into the bubbling mixture. “It’s supposed to smell like whatever your true love smells like, if it doesn't then it’s shit.” 

Luke leaned over and sniffed the potion, but all he could smell was the extreme amount of peppermint oil Michael had told him to tip in earlier. “I can't smell anything.”

The other boy just sighed, and Luke knew he was rolling his eyes despite not being able to see him. “That’s because it’s not fucking finished, genius.” He stirred it with a wooden spoon, and the potion started to morph from the murky purple colour it had been to a deep red. “Try it now.”

Luke just frowned at him, smelling it properly. He couldn't place it at first, but it sort of smelled like coffee, or maybe that was just coming from the empty cup that Michael had been drinking out of. It also kind of smelled like a wet cat, in an odd sort of way. Or maybe he was just smelling Michael.

Although… maybe it was a little weird that everything he was smelling reminded him of Michael. That wasn't normal, and he refused to believe it, honestly. He didn't love Michael, he was more annoying than anything, even if he was pretty cute and Luke spent pretty much every moment he was around him just thinking about how adorable he was. 

“So? You get a good enough whiff?” Michael laughed a little, although when he turned to face Luke and waited for a reply, Luke figured he was seriously asking what he’d smelt. 

Well, it wasn't like he could just say Michael. That’d make everything awkward.

“Uh, strawberries. And… cinnamon.” Because that was definitely a combination that existed. 

Michael laughed a little, and then decided to tell Luke what he thought even though he hadn’t exactly remembered asking. “I smell… this really nice washing detergent, and how the air smells after it’s rained for a really long time. And maybe a bit of vanilla.” 

The stupidly self absorbed part of Luke perked up at that, trying to convince the rest of his brain that Michael was smelling him. He did use really nice washing detergent, and his hair was still kind of damp from the shower he’d just gotten out of, not to mention he’d used vanilla scented shampoo and bodywash. 

He wasn't even sure when he’d started liking Michael. Had he? Did he? It’d just sort of happened, there hadn’t exactly been a moment in the past few days where he’d looked at him and just thought, _shit_. It’d happened slowly, but also somehow all at once. It didn't make much sense to Luke honestly, but not much did. 

“Smells nice then?” He asked, frowning a little.

Michael nodded. “You dilute this stuff, right? That’s a pretty good idea. That way it won't be too overwhelming or anything.”

Luke felt his face warm, and he nodded. He usually didn't get flustered at compliments or anything, but earlier in the week Michael had told him that he was pretty and he’d thought about it all day long. “Thanks,” he mumbled. 

Michael just grinned, stirring the mixture. “It should be ready to bottle up now,” he said, already taking the pot off of the flame and getting Luke’s collection of cheap glass vials ready. 

“Thank you… for uh, helping me with the potions. You don't have to, but I appreciate it.” _I appreciate you_ , is what Luke would’ve said if he actually had any balls and wasn't terrified of rejection. 

Michael just shrugged, brushing off the compliment like he did everything else. “It’s not biggie. Not like I’m paying lodge any other way, is it?”

Luke wanted to argue that Michael didn't exactly need to pay lodge, not when Luke valued his company so much, but instead he just found himself silently agreeing with a nod. 

“So what’s the plan for the rest of the day?” He was good at that, changing the topic. Michael seemed to have a weird talent for skirting around anything he didn't want to say, which Luke kind of envied. “Dinner and a movie?” He finished bottling up the potion, setting all of the vials to the side so that Luke could deal with them later. 

“Sounds like a date,” Luke’s comment slipped out before he even realised it, and his face flushed a little. He avoided even looking at Michael, so he didn't realise that the other boy’s face did the same. 

“Well… it could be. If you want it to.” He shrugged, and Luke wasn't sure if he was joking or being serious. He really hoped that it was the latter, but you could never know with Michael. He made a lot of jokes and pretty much all of them seemed like serious comments.

But maybe he had to take a risk. He’d taken Michael in off of the streets, and that had been a risk. He could've been a rabid cat, but that’d worked out okay. “That might be nice,” Luke said, voice a little cautious.

“Alright. It’s a date then,” Michael winked, and Luke kind of died, and it was all well and good until Michael laughed. 

It wasn't a malicious laugh, or really even a laugh at all, barely even a chuckle. But Luke still picked up on it. 

“Are you taking the piss?” He asked, frowning a little. 

Michael just shook his head. “No, I like you. You’re cute and you smell nice.”

The blond boy blinked, nodding. “Right, okay. It’s a date then.” 

The date went well, and like the other nights before Luke had drifted off to sleep with Michael already laying on his chest, face pressing against his neck and one of his hands gripping the hoodie that Luke was sleeping in. 

It was kind of nice, falling asleep with Michael laying on him. It was like a nice weighted blanket, and there was an oddly… safe feeling about the fact that he already knew he’d wake up the exact same way tomorrow, Mikey would still be asleep and probably start pouting the moment Luke woke him up so that he could go for a piss.

Luke had made a lot of mistakes in his time of practicing magic, but he was glad that he took Michael in, and he was extremely glad that he fucked up his spell and accidently turned him back into a human. It’d all worked out in the end, even if he did kind of miss having a grumpy kitten around.

**Author's Note:**

> well !!! fic. anyway,,, hmu on [tumblr](https://mikeycliffords.tumblr.com) if u want to chat abt my fics or anything at all !! apparently I could talk shit for england so. if that ever becomes an olympic sport Then my talent will finally b appreciated


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